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Ref:552/03 |
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AUSTRALIA
- Feb 21, 2003 |
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Kingfish
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Kingfish farming will be the
focus of a public meeting in Ceduna on Wednesday.
The meeting aims to explain the issues surrounding kingfish
farming, the perceived dangers involved, and to provide
general information.
It has been called in response to the proposal by Hamachi
Ocean Culture to establish a kingfish farm in the waters to
the north of Goat Island, near Ceduna. It would, if
established, be the first fin-fish farm on the West Coast.
Professional and recreational fishers were quick to respond
negatively to the proposal, fearing for the health of native
fish stocks and the marine environment in the area.
To address these concerns the State Government intiated the
$2 million 'aquaculture sustainability' research program
recently, a focus of which will be a study of the potential
impact of kingfish farms and their escapees.
"The purpose of the research is to determine the difference
between wild caught and farmed fish,” South Australian
Aquaculture Council chairman Bruce Zippel said.
Fishers fear escapees are decimating stocks of whiting and
other species in Spencer Gulf and surrounds.
The recreational fishing survey released last week
(conducted between 1998 and 2001) showed that stocks may be
down due to an increased recreational fishing effort - with
figures indicating recreational fishers caught 58 per cent
of all whiting (or 2.3 million fish, up from 40 per cent in
1996), 40 per cent of all snapper, 46 per cent of squid and
56 per cent of tommy ruff.
The public meeting will be held in Ceduna Memorial Hall at
7pm, and will culminate in a vote. |
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